RPGWatch - The Whole Game in My Hand #2

Mike Anderson takes a second trip into the world of handheld RPG gaming with the latest The Whole Game in My Hand, bringing us up to date with the latest releases and the outlook for each of the handheld platforms. Also included is a full review of Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony for PSP. Here's a snip:

The to-hit bonus for ported games being crap has to be something like +4 with a greatly extended critical range. So why should this game even be of interest? Because new content based on existing franchises has worked well on the PSP –as the Grand Theft Auto and Syphon Filter games have shown. Also, games like the two Untold Legends have demonstrated that an action-RPG is a near-perfect fit for the PSP hardware and controls. What those games lacked was a compelling reason to play – they featured generic characters, stories and combat, even by action-RPG standards. Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony will not change any opinions you might have about deep stories in action-RPG’s, but it is a fun game that is the best handheld action-RPG yet and will keep you going for many hours if you can get past the limitations and issues.

More information.

I'm getting a DS lite, the primary reason being I do quite a bit of flying and I figure it's got to be better than the in-flight entertainment of movies I have already seen.

I will pick up FF3 for sure, looking forward to your review of the next lunar/pokemon game.

Thank you for taking the time to write this up Mike
We have a DS, and I am embarrased to say it does not get used a lot.
unfortunately most of the games you mentioned just don't ever hit the shelves here, the stores rather put up umpteen crappy movie and tv-show tie ins
Even the FF ones don't seem to show up… but I'll keep looking and hoping

I saw you din't mention Mazes of Fate… is that one not due out soon, or already out or something?

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
Thank you for taking the time to write this up Mike

Never a problem - I like this stuff

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
the stores rather put up umpteen crappy movie and tv-show tie ins

Isn't that the way - those things *do* sell big, and they are an easy choice for store buyers to allocate space for - quick sell-through and then replace with the next SpongeBob / YuGiOh / etc … (not including Pokemon since those games are actually pretty good)

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
unfortunately most of the games you mentioned just don't ever hit the shelves here
Even the FF ones don't seem to show up… but I'll keep looking and hoping

What about Amazon / eBay / etc?

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
I saw you din't mention Mazes of Fate… is that one not due out soon, or already out or something?

This was written before Christmas … I only knew of Mazes of Fate as a vague 'upcoming' game back then … but now that I have ordered it (should be here today, actually) I will be able to dig in and play!

Originally Posted by txa1265
What about Amazon / eBay / etc?

We don't have a credit card. I do order some stuff (like the Daz stuff) online via my mother-in-law's creditcard, and then send the money over to her in the UK, but I do not want to overuse that option. It also means it costs more for us, since we have to add sending the money and the exchange rate to it.
I might use it for Mazes of Fate though, if it turns out to be good.

Originally Posted by txa1265
This was written before Christmas … I only knew of Mazes of Fate as a vague 'upcoming' game back then … but now that I have ordered it (should be here today, actually) I will be able to dig in and play!

Ah, that explains that. Lucky you, getting it today A friend of mine is sending me a copy of Fate (diablo clone for the PC) from the States which is due either today or tomorrow, so I'm keeping an eye on the postman at the moment as well

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
We don't have a credit card.

I am always amazed when I see that … I have had some source of credit since college in the mid-80's … of course, keeping it under control is always the trick

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
A friend of mine is sending me a copy of Fate (diablo clone for the PC) from the States

Love that game - I did do a review of Fate at GamerDad when it first came out.

What about getting a Visa/Mastercard "debit" card -- one that doesn't offer credit and otherwise acts like an EFTPOS card, apart from transacting through the Visa/MC system?

Originally Posted by txa1265
I am always amazed when I see that … I have had some source of credit since college in the mid-80's … of course, keeping it under control is always the trick

Due to my husband's bad credit history we are simply not eligable, besides that, due to (mentioned) bad spending history I'm not sure I'd want one in the house

Originally Posted by txa1265
Love that game - I did do a review of Fate at GamerDad when it first came out.

One of the reasons I've been after it for ages, it keeps getting mentioned at Gamerdad It is not out over here on CD though, and we couldn't buy it online because of above reason Luckely an american friend of mine was willing to buy it for me once we'd sent him the money

Originally Posted by Dhruin
What about getting a Visa/Mastercard "debit" card -- one that doesn't offer credit and otherwise acts like an EFTPOS card, apart from transacting through the Visa/MC system?

We have a pay-as-you-go credit card that you have to top up first and then you can spend until you've spent the amount on it. However, we can't find the top-up cards for it anywhere, making it a bit difficult. The bank keeps insisting they are at various newsagents throughout Ireland, but can not provide a list of them, and our local newsagent doesn't stock them.
We are going to chase after that a bit more though, it is just getting harder and harder to get things without some sort of credit card.

Originally Posted by Sorcha Ravenlock
Due to my husband's bad credit history we are simply not eligable, besides that, due to (mentioned) bad spending history I'm not sure I'd want one in the house

Probably a good idea then … I love that we've been able to use a debit card linked to our bank account for the past several years - convenience of plastic with the responsibility of cash …

There are 3 more RPG games for the PSP in the next time.
February: Monster Kingdom - Jewel Summoner
March: Valhalla Knights (EBGames list it)
April: Riviera (okay it's a gba-port)

And I hope Disgaea Portable and Jeanne d'Arc will launch in the USA this year, too.

Originally Posted by Sisaya
There are 3 more RPG games for the PSP in the next time.
February: Monster Kingdom - Jewel Summoner
March: Valhalla Knights (EBGames list it)
April: Riviera (okay it's a gba-port)

And I hope Disgaea Portable and Jeanne d'Arc will launch in the USA this year, too.

Thanks for the reminders … I'll mention most of those in my next article in a couple of weeks

I have heard that Joan of Arc is planned for this year, but haven't seen a date (don't know if they even have a publisher yet!). We can only hope!

Sony published Jeanne d'Arc in Japan. So I think Sony will publish the game in USA and europe, too.

I have been using a mastercard debit card from my bank for awhile and I have noticed that most banks (in the US atleast) use simular cards. If your bank doesn't maybe you should switch banks.